Ayr & Ravenswood, QLD

We liked Ayr. Small, pretty coastal town. We stayed at Alva Tourist Park on the beach.

The area is famous for the SS Yongala shipwreck, one of the world's top scuba dive sites. Given that I can barely snorkel without drowning, a visit to the wreck was not to be. But we had our own fun pootling about annoying the fishermen and dicing with death by swimming in the crocodile infested shallows.

The cute little town of Ravenswood was...something else. Like something put of the wild west. We couldn't find any space anywhere in Townsville to stay, which was due to be our next stop, so thought we'd head west for a week and explore the old mining towns. We opted to stay at the rough and ready showgrounds, not realising there was a posh new caravan park up the road with actual phone signal and the occasional welcome sight of 3G.

3G! Lol.

We spent days searching for an elusive white peacock, there were several wild flocks knocking about. We scrabbled about trying to find a large gold nugget that the locals (and huge commercial gold mine) may have missed. Alas, it was not to be.

The town has already been relocated once, to accommodate the gold mine. The walls of the new mine tower over this little village and it looks like they'll have to be relocated again.

Went to visit the cemetery that had also been relocated, and was also now precariously hanging over the edge of the new mine - the stories were fascinating. They've made a macabre, tourist thing of their heritage cemetery due to the wide variety of novel ways, folk have died there.

There was a large chain on a couple of graves. Miners in the 1800s were using it for...something I don't recall, when one was struck by lightning which in turn killed all who were hanging onto the chain.

The mining widows used to hang out in the cemetery and natter, their stories were printed on info boards.

Genuinely the most fun you can have at a cemetery!Read more